Gamification practices in tourism: An analysis based on the model by Werbach & Hunter (2012)

Abstract

Innovative tourism products have been surging throughout the world as a response to the rising com-petition in the sector. Some initiatives seek to engage people, motivate their satisfaction, and trans-form user experience through gamification. At the same time, there is a lack of studies regarding the elements used in those initiatives. With that in mind, the present study has as its objective to analyze gamification practices in tourism (national and international). Therefore, this exploratory-descriptive research study uses a systematic review method to identify gamification practices in tourism world-wide. The queries were made using keywords in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese in the following databases: Portal de Periódicos CAPES (CAPES Periodical Portal), Science Direct, Publi-cações de Turismo (USP) (USP’s Tourism Publications) and the site “Gamification in Tourism.” After the initial survey, following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 40 practices remained analyzed using the Werbach & Hunter (2012) model. The main finding of the study was that all practices fulfill at least one of the 27 gaming elements proposed by Werbach & Hunter (2012); the most common elements were “Challenge," “Progression," “Feedback," “Mission” and “Achievement”; the least common elements were “Boss," “Chance," “Teams,” and “Gifts.” The main conclusion of this study is that the frequency of the elements identified suggests a preoccupation with the practices analyzed in maximizing the experience for the visitors. In other words, gamification is being used to provide memorable experiences and not only as a pastime activity. Finally, it is important to mention that this is an original study whose value resides in the diffusion of knowledge about a subject that, although important, is still not widely discussed by the national scientific literature.